Fasting & depression

I just read about how intermittent fasting has been shown to help with depression. Does anyone here practice fasting? I am going to give it a go.

Well, That didn't go as planned as usual

What happened Shell?

i dont see how that would help but i havent read anything about it. your brain requires amino acids and doesnt function properly when it's starved. fasting can actually exacerbate depression

I was too cranky and actually felt sick

It didn't work for me, that was for sure

(((((hugs))))

I do intermittent fasting by not eating in the evening and having a late breakfast. We try to have dinner done by 6 p.m. so my husband doesn't go to bed on a full stomach as he has to be at work by 6:30 a.m. I don't eat breakfast [unless I'm hungry of course] until 9 a.m. so that gives me 15 hours of allowing my food to digest.

junkDNA mentioned amino acids being needed by the brain which is sooo true. I use amino acids to treat my bipolar 2, and where I'm taking them as supplements, my brain gets what it needs that way.

If you aren't familiar with the role of amino acids in treating depression, suffice it to sa that they're the building blocks of neurotransmitters that control our moods. I personally believe that those of us with mood disorders, anxiety, OCD and the like aren't able to produce adequate neurotransmitters which is why we have the issues with our mood. I compare it to a diabetic needing insulin.

I've done great since switching to amino acids and the natural mineral supplement lithium orotate to control my bipolar 2.

Here are some articles on using amino acids to control depression and anxiety along with a brain function questionnaire that shows the emotions and feelings associated with various neurotransmitters.

http://drjolee.com/Brain-Function-Questionnaire.pdf

https://www.integrativepsychiatry.ne...epression.html

Natural Nutritional Supplements, Clinical Anxiety and Depression Treatment

Thank you for the replies ❤️

That was really interesting, Lucy. I'll have to look into that. Also, it occurs to me that we intermittently fast anyway, because we obviously don't stuff our faces while we're sleeping. ...unless you sleepwalk and head to the kitchen for a meal. lol Is that a thing? xD

I am wondering if you stopped eating for 9 hours and then ate because you felt sick? Our bodies need fuel. Not having that fuel can disrupt our sugar levels and may have led to that sick feeling.

I don't fast because I have Type 2 diabetes (genetic on both sides - not because because I lack discipline as modern medicine would have you believe). But I am vey strict with my diet and every now and then (about weekly) I am very strict and only eat what I absolutely have to, to give me the energy to get through the day - in 3 months I have lost 3 kilos and my clothes are a little bit better fitting - this I not a bad thing but was not deliberate by any means. I recommend not so much fasting but eating bare minimum energy for a day every now and then as I truly now believe that it makes a difference.

Some faiths have you fast for spiritual reasons, like a religious leader doing so to seek purification of their body. Fasting for health benefits has been proven to increase the body's ability to respond to stress if done for a very brief time every now and again. However, this can be taken too far, as was proven with the case of "Doctor" Linda Hazzard.

She was a famous quack doctor who claimed that prolonged and continuous fasting would heal any ailment, given enough time. She put her patients on super strict diets, only a few spoonfulls of a thin broth everyday. Some of her patients reported success, but most usually just wasted away to nothing, eventually dying of starvation/malnutrition. After she had set up a clinic and even had a book published titled "Fasting for the Cure of Disease", she took in larger numbers and more died in her care. Eventually, her "Fasting Cure" was the cause of death for many men and women, which saw her for anything ranging from general achiness to cancer.

She was eventually arrested, tried and convicted of manslaughter, but stuck to her guns that her cure-all was the real deal. So much so did she believe it that she started fasting to prove that she would cure herself of an ailment she had. She died due to her fasting a little over a year later.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linda_Hazzard

So her tale is a word of caution. While brief intermittent fasting can increase the body's stress responses and overall health a bit, it's certainly not a cure for anything and shouldn't be overdone to the point of death.

You may be right on that!

That is a good idea as well!

Holy cow!!

This is SO weird I am currently on my 3rd day of a fast. I feel great --no cravings, and i've been drinking plenty of water and working out. It has made me happier than i've been in awhile. Kind of like it is resetting my mind and body. Better than the mirtazapen I was on. Try it out! It is not my first fast though.

As a recovered anorexic, I can attest to a number of studies linking EDs and depression, and the pretty definitive advice. Healthy meals with protein and complex carbohydrates. Breakfast is uber-important. Small snacks like string cheese and an apple, or even a protein shake or bar (which I keep in my car). Yogurt and fruit, crackers and cheese... Small balanced meals, no more than 3 hours without eating. Healthy fats are super important but I struggle with any fat still.

Brains need good food, as do bodies - and brains with biochemical disorders need it even more. Food is the biggest drug we all take, and the most important. When I'm not consistent in eating, my depression and anxiety and ADD are worse.

Happy to find you some articles supporting. Can you post a link to the article you read?